Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 July 2026
425. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current training capacity of the Garda Training College and the capacity in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54646/26]
View answerGetting more Gardaí on our streets to prevent and detect crime and to ensure that people are safe and feel safe, is my first priority as Minister.
This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs and Budget 2026 provides unprecedented funding of €2.74 billion to the organisation to support it, including in relation to recruitment and staffing.
Overall, just under 800 trainees entered the Garda College in 2025, the highest number since 2018.
Following two attestations this year, 360 probationer Gardaí have been assigned across the country. 223 and 215 trainees entered the college in intakes in November of last year and February this year so I expect to see in excess of 200 Gardaí attesting in each of the two remaining attestations this year, which includes one at the end of July.
The number of Gardaí available to the Commissioner will continue to increase over the coming months as trainees currently in Templemore complete their training and attest from the Garda College. We are now regularly seeing groups of over 200 trainees entering Templemore. The most recent intake of 201 trainees on 4 May was the fourth intake in a row with 200 or more recruits entering the college.
The most recent recruitment competition, which closed on 3 June 2026, attracted over 4,000 applications and reflects a strong and steady interest in a career in An Garda Síochána.
It should be noted that the Garda College is also the primary training facility in the State for serving Gardaí and this is reflected in the capacity of the college. Work is under way to increase capacity in the short term with the support of the Office of Public Works and it is anticipated that additional capacity will become available this year.
The Garda Training Review Group has been established to identify delivery options to increase the scale and capacity of high-quality education, training and continuous professional development in An Garda Síochána. This includes consideration for the establishment of a second Garda training college and providing for Garda trainees to undergo part of their training in regionally based Universities or Technological Universities and will help ensure that the skills needs of the organisation are met over the next decade.
A former Secretary General is Chair of the Group with senior officials representing the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Office of Public Works and the Higher Education Authority.
The following data outlines the intakes to the college from 2021 to May 2026.
|
Year |
Intake |
No. of Trainees |
|
2021 |
Intake 211 |
147 |
|
2021 |
Intake 212 |
73 |
|
2021 |
Intake 213 |
114 |
|
2021 |
Intake 214 |
46 |
|
2022 |
Intake 221 |
24 |
|
2022 |
Intake 222 |
92 |
|
2023 |
Intake 231 |
135 |
|
2023 |
Intake 232 |
154 |
|
2023 |
Intake 233 |
174 |
|
2023 |
Intake 234 |
174 |
|
2023 |
Intake 235 |
109 |
|
2024 |
Intake 241 |
186 |
|
2024 |
Intake 242 |
157 |
|
2024 |
Intake 243 |
125 |
|
2024 |
Intake 244 |
162 |
|
2025 |
Intake 251 |
201 |
|
2025 |
Intake 252 |
170 |
|
2025 |
Intake 253 |
200 |
|
2025 |
Intake 254 |
223 |
|
2025 |
Intake 255 |
215 |
|
2026 |
Intake 261 |
215 |
|
2026 |
Intake 262 |
201 |
|
|
Total intake |
3297 |
